Peter Mittiga LMHC

My approach to therapy is to let you take the lead for part of our sessions. This can be a powerful moment for people as some have had no say in parts of their lives. I try to make you feel comfortable in our sessions, as sometimes things we talk about can be difficult and it is important for you to be in a safe place when working through past and current problems. When we are working on something that might be difficult and you need a break, I go with the flow and we switch topics. At some point, I may encourage us to start working on a difficult topic, but ultimately these sessions are for you; you are in the drivers seat, while I am here simply to help facilitate the journey to healing.

I like to take a more collaborative approach with clients when developing goals for therapy. During the first few sessions you will discuss things you would like to work on. From these discussions, we will map out a plan of your therapy goals. Sometimes, clients may come in on the first session and know what they want to work on, and other times clients may need more guidance when making goals. Whatever works best for you is how we roll, as my goal is to make you comfortable throughout the therapeutic process. Ultimately, it is vital for you to be involved with this process. If I was to make your therapy goals without you, then therapy would not be very beneficial for you. Also, keep in mind that this plan will be fluid as new stressors may come up, or past stressors that may have been buried may resurface when we start to dig deeper on different topics.

A key component to the therapeutic relationship is trust. In order for you to feel comfortable enough to be able to open up and share things with me, we must trust each other. With this said, trust does not just happen - it is a process. Throughout our first several sessions we will be working on building rapport and developing a healthy therapeutic alliance. On your first session you may not share everything with me as I am a new person you are meeting, and this is normal. However, as we build rapport with each other, trust will start to be established and then therapy can really start to happen. Without trust, therapy will not be successful. Therefore, trust is a key component for the therapeutic relationship.

• New York, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, 006991-01

I've been working in the field for over ten years. I started working at an agency in a program that was more group therapy based. This is where I started to love the field and I pursued my Master's degree. I learned a background in CBT and DBT techniques. After I graduated with my Master's degree I moved into a mental health clinic. There I was able to hone in on my skills and further develop them. I eventually became a senior counselor and then moved into management. I want to continue to help others through counseling, and this is why I pursued counseling through private practice while continuing to manage a mental health clinic during the day. I'm a therapist at heart, so I am happy to be able to provide counseling services to my clients.